Rangers vs Real Betis LIVE: Europa League result, final score and reaction | OneFootball

FT: Rangers 1-0 Real Betis

Rangers started their Europa League campaign against Betis with a well-deserved win against the Europa League side.

The game didn’t flow well in the first half, with both sides struggling for fluency, and with lots of stops and starts.

Rangers winger Rabbi Matondo had a brilliant chance in only the fifth minute however, being played in behind from just over the halfway line. The winger could not set himself though and his resulting finish was easy for Claudio Bravo.

Betis then edged a large portion of the first half, with Abe Ez looking really dangerous as he repeatedly broke into the box and had no hesitation in taking on the Rangers backline.

Roca was also performed well for Betis along with the two fullbacks, and Rangers really struggled to play through the midfield, instead looking a lot more threatening with long balls over the top of the defence.

Michael Beale’s side took control in the latter stages of the first half, with a good chance for Abdallah Sima falling shortly before the interval.

Rangers started the second half the way they ended the first, with Barisic inches away from scoring a fantastic free-kick, and Hector Bellerin just doing enough to prevent Matondo from guiding home a brilliant cross from Sima.

After coming close on a number of occasions, the home side eventually broke through from a corner when Ben Davies scrambled home a shot following a fantastic save from Claudio Bravo, who denied Kemar Roofe from point-blank range.

Betis responded by changing almost their entire frontline, with their widemen having drifted out of the game since Rangers took control. The momentum began to shift again with the introduction of Perez, Jose and Rodri, who really tested the home side’s resolve in the closing stages of the game.

Overall though, a well deserved win for Rangers who had the best chances in the game. An important win for the Scottish side who will be hoping that this kickstarts an otherwise disappointing start to the season.